Grant to develop postgrad fire engineering course
STELLENBOSCH University said it had received a R2.9million grant to develop Africa’s first postgraduate programme in fire engineering and ultimately provide the expertise needed to keep the continent safe.
The university said the risk of deadly fires, especially in informal settlements, was a constant in South Africa due to the close proximity of housing structures, open fires, and the use of paraffin for cooking and staying warm during the winter months.
Devastating blazes – such as the fires in Imizamo Yethu near Hout Bay and in Knysna last year – regularly make news headlines.
Research shows that South Africa has one of the highest fire-related death rates per capita worldwide, many of which occur in informal settlements.
“With the growth of the African population and the local mining, manufacturing and resource processing industries, the associated fire risks of the continent are rapidly increasing, along with the need for fire engineering professionals,” said Dr Richard Walls, who heads Stellenbosch University’s Fire Engineering Research Unit (FireSUN).
“To this end, a master’s in engineering and PhD degrees in fire engineering will develop the engineering capacity that the continent needs.”
The grant was received from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a charity whose mandate is to protect life and property, as well as to support education, engineering-related research and public engagement. | African News Agency (ANA)